A tower lift includes a rail module extending in a vertical direction, a plurality of carriage modules that are movable along the rail module, each carriage module having a carriage that carries an object, and an interference avoidance module that avoids travel interference between the carriage modules that move along the rail module.

A method of operating a shuttle elevator group including: detecting an arrival of an elevator car at a landing; determining a time since a previous elevator car departed the landing; determining a fullness percentage of the elevator car; determining an estimated time until a next elevator car arrives at the landing; and determining when the elevator car departs the landing based upon at least one of the fullness percentage of the elevator car, the time since the previous elevator car departed the landing, and the estimated time until the next elevator car arrives at the landing.

A shuttle elevator loading system includes a plurality of shuttle elevators configured to service a building lobby. At least one sensor is configured to detect at least one passenger and at least one display unit is located at a display zone of the lobby. An elevator system controller is in signal communication with the at least one sensor and the at least one display unit. The elevator system controller determines a number of allocated passengers corresponding to each shuttle elevator and generates assignment information that directs a non-allocated passenger to an available shuttle elevator.

A building shuttle box delivery system includes a plurality of delivery ducts connected in a delivery network. The system further includes a plurality of delivery vehicles configured to travel along the delivery ducts and are accessible via a plurality of access ports distributed along the delivery network. The system may further include hold devices, movement rails, positional pads, directional pads, crawler wheel assemblies and fall brakes disposed on the delivery ducts and delivery vehicles to facilitate travel throughout the delivery network.

The invention relates to a method of providing a seamless wireless connection in an elevator system of a building. The method comprises receiving an elevator car request from a passenger who is on a source floor, dispatching an elevator car to the source floor in response to the elevator car request, selecting at least one wireless local area network (WLAN) established in the building, and forwarding the selected at least one WLAN via a network node placed in at least one of an elevator hall of the source floor, the dispatched elevator car, or an elevator hall of a destination floor.

A method including monitoring a plurality of elevators, wherein at least two of the plurality of elevators are set into a shuttle mode in which the corresponding elevator travels between two pre-defined floors; calculating at least one of an arrival time and a departure time of an elevator car of each of the at least two elevators in the shuttle mode at a predetermined floor; determining a time required by a user for reaching each of the at least two elevators in the shuttle mode from an operation terminal location; calculating a preference order of the at least two elevators in the shuttle mode on the basis of the time of arrival and/or departure of the elevator car of each of the at least two elevators in the shuttle mode and the time required by the user for reaching each of the at least two elevators in the shuttle mode from the operation terminal location; assigning one of a plurality of display modes to each of the at least two elevators in the shuttle mode according to the preference order; and causing displaying of an elevator identification according to the preference order by using the assigned display mode.

A method monitors a plurality of elevators, in which at least two elevators are set into shuttle mode in which the corresponding elevator travels between two pre-defined floors. The method calculates at least one of an arrival time and a departure time of an elevator car of each of the at least two elevators in shuttle mode at a predetermined floor; determines a time required by a user for reaching each of the at least two elevators in shuttle mode from an operation terminal location; and calculates a preference order of the at least two elevators in shuttle mode on the basis of the time of arrival and/or departure of the elevator car of each of the at least two elevators in shuttle mode and the time required by the user for reaching each of the at least two elevators in the shuttle mode from the operation terminal location.

The invention relates to a method of providing a seamless wireless connection in an elevator system of a building. The method comprises receiving an elevator car request from a passenger who is on a source floor, dispatching an elevator car to the source floor in response to the elevator car request, selecting at least one wireless local area network (WLAN) established in the building, and forwarding the selected at least one WLAN via a network node placed in at least one of an elevator hall of the source floor, the dispatched elevator car, or an elevator hall of a destination floor.

According to an aspect, there is provided an elevator system comprising an elevator control apparatus configured to operate elevator cars in two parallel vertical trajectories, wherein the elevator cars are configured to move in a closed loop up along a first vertical trajectory and down along a second vertical trajectory, The first vertical trajectory and the second vertical trajectory are at least partly shared by a first group of elevator cars and a second group of elevators cars, wherein the first group and the second group at least partly are configured to operate at different maximum speeds.

A method for controlling elevator cars of an elevator system according to one example includes assigning free elevator cars of the elevator system to one of either general service or express priority service (EPS). A destination dispatch controller receives an express priority service (EPS) call. The EPS call can indicate a request for priority service from an EPS call originating location to an EPS call final destination. The controller can determine whether any active EPS assigned car can service the EPS call. A particular elevator car can be an active EPS car when the particular car is carrying out EPS service. When a specific active EPS car can service the EPS call, the controller assigns the specific EPS car to the EPS call. Upon completion of the EPS call, the controller unassigns the EPS car to a free car.